Rubber-stamp assembly



Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITSTATES PATE NT OFFICE HANS H. HELLESOE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RUBBER-STAMP ASSEMBLY Application filed. April 17,

My invention relates to the class of rubber type outfits in Whichseparate character blocks or stamping blocks (which may include both letter blocks and numeral blocks) are assembled ona holder, so that the assembled blocks unit to effect the de- 10 selected group of character blocks by means ofa holder having a groove into which the rear ends of the blocks are inserted. In practice, the varying shrinkage of the bodies of such blocks (which are usually made of wood) makes it diflicult to secure a firm gripping of o i the assembled blocks} for holding them in acouratealineljnent. [For this reason, such holders are commonly made with resilient metal strips serving as the groove walls and formed for gripping the rear end portions of the blocks between them. However, even this has not proven satisfactory, because the yieldingstrips cannot adjust themselves to variations in the Widths oflthe numerous block ends disposed between them. Moreover, such metal strips areapt to be bent out of their proper shapes.

My present invention aims to overcome these difficulties byproviding a stamping outfit in which the yieldable adjustment for shrinkage and other variations in size is afforded by a resilient and compressible material, such as soft rubber, and aims to arrange such an outfit so that the stamping block and holder assembly forms an accurately alined and rigid unit which can easily be assembled and disassembled. V

Furthermore,my inventionaims to provide .typesblock aliningand manipulating means which will also compensate for such variations in dimensions ofthe several type blocks asmay occur in ordinary manufacture, and even for variations in the surface which is to be imprinted, thereby securing a uniformly legible imprinting.

In accomplishing these objects. I provide stamping blocks each of which desirably consists of a wooden block having a type character of rubber cemented to its lower or imprinting face, these blocks and characters 1929. Serial no. 355,790.

being allof uniform height and the blocks having counterpart transverse grooves. formedin the block ends which are upward during the imprinting. Then I also provide a holder bar or manipulating bar of less thickness than the uniform width of the grooves; together with a soft rubber liner which simultaneously grips the holder bar and the stamping blocks to assemble them as a rigid unit, and which also interposes a yielding pressure-transmitting portion between the manipulating bar and the stamping blocks for equalizing the imprinting of the type faces on the several blocks.

of further obj ects of ,my invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a four letter stamp assembly embodying my inven tion, with the type faces upward.

Fig. 2 is an inverted perspective View of the same assembly, drawn on a smaller scale. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same assembly, taken from the right-hand end of Fig. 3. Fig. 4: is an enlarged end view similar to Fig. .3, but taken before the carrier bar is inserted in the channel-sectioned rubber liner, with dottedlines showing the carrier bar in its inserted position Fig. 5 is an end view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the use ofa liner of angle-bar section and a simplified form of carrier bar. Inthe embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, each stamping block consists of a wooden block 1 h'avinga rubber type faceQ cemented to its lower end face and having a groove 3 extending transversely of the block and open at the upper end of the block. The height A is the same for each character of the font of stamping blocks. and the grooves 3 in all of the blocks are of counterpart sections, de sirably presenting parallel opposed risen walls. Furthermore, the central longitudinal plane B of the groove in each block is in the same relation to each of the type faces 2, so

that these typefaces will be alined when the grooves in the several character blocks are in alinement.

To aline and manipulate a selected group of such stamping blocks, I provide achannelsectioned liner 5 of such awidth as to be Illustrative of such a stamping outfit and freely slidable downward into the alined grooves 3 of the selected blocks, this liner be ing desirably made of soft rubber and at least as tall as thedepth of the counterpart grooves in the blocks. After this liner has been inserted in the alined. grooves, I force the stem 6 of a carrier bar down into the interior of the liner, this stein being somewhat wider than the interior width of the channel-sectioned liner so that the inserted stem compresses the riser flanges of the liner against the opposed riser walls of the grooves in the stamp blocks.

To facilitate the insertion of the carrier bar into the liner,I desirably taper the section of the stem of the carrier bar downward- 1y as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. I also desirably widen the upper portion of the carrier bar, as

for example by making the carrier bar of a T-shaped tranverse section comprising a stem 6 and a considerably wider cross-head 7 extending across the upper end of the stem.

When the carrier has its stem thus inserted in the compressible liner, the resiliency of the liner holds the carrier bar firmly interlocked with the group of stamp blocks through which the liner extends, so that this group of blocks can be manipulated as a unit by digitally grasping the, cross-head of the carrier bar. The width of this cross-head also causes it to present a'wide upper face for receiving digital pressure during the use of the stamp assembly in imprinting the type faces of the assembled stamp blocks. What is more, when the stem 3 of the carrier bar is inserted until its free edge seats on the bottom of the groove in the liner, the pressure exerted in imprinting the stamps is transmitted partly through the bottom of the liner, and the yielding of this compressible liner bottom will permit the individual stamp blocks to shift slightly along the medial plane B so as to compensate for a lack of uniformity in the surface which is being imprinted.

By varying the lengths of the liners and of the carrier bars, I can readily provide convenient means for thus alining and, manipulating any desired number of stamp blocks of counterpart transverse sections. Vith the liner freely insertible in the grooves of the blocks, the assembling requires very little time; and the same is true of the dissembling. Moreover, the flanges of the liner can be sufficiently thick to permit their compressibility to compensate for any such lack of uniformity in the width ofthe grooves which might be due to differences in the shrinkage of the wooden blocks. r

However, while I have heretofore de scribed an embodiment of my invention including a channel-sectioned liner and a T- sectioned carrier bar, I do not wish to be limited to these or other details of the construction and arrangement thus disclosed;

out departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

For example, Fig. 5 shows a somewhat cheaper embodiment of my invention and one particularly suitable for use with stamp blocks of smaller size width than those in which a channel-sectioned liner could readily be used. In this embodiment, the channel bar 8 has no cross-head and has one side face flat, while the lower portion of the opposite side face is somewhat beveled, and the liner 9 is of an angle section. lVhen assembled as in Fig. 5, the liner bears fiatwise directly against one riserwall of the groove in the block 10, while the opposite side face of the liner compresses the riser flange of the liner against the other riser wall of the said groove.

With each of the illustrated embodiments, the liner has riser flange which is clamped against a riser wall of the groove in the block or blocks when the carrier bar is in its operative position, and the liner also interposes a yielding bottom flange between the bottom of the carrier bar and the bottom of the groove.

Moreover, I do not wish to be limited to the use of the liners which are removable from the stamping blocks, as each block might have a correspondingly short length of the liner permanently cemented or otherwise fastened in its groove, in which case only the carrier bar would be removed when disassembling the group of blocks after it has been used for the desired imprinting.

I claim as my invention:

1. A stamping outfit comprising blocks of counterpart heights having legend faces on their lower ends and having transverse grooves of uniform section in their upper ends, a compressible liner longer than the width of a plurality of the said blocks and extending through the grooves in the blocks when the blocks are aligned, the liner having a channel-shaped transverse section, and a rigid carrier bar of somewhat greater thickness than the normal interior width of the channel of the liner and adapted to be inserted in the liner, the liner being detachable from the said blocks when the carrier bar is not inserted in the liner.

2. A stamping outfit comprising a group of blocks of counterpart heights having legend faces on their lower ends and having transverse grooves of uniform section in their upper ends, a compressible liner extending consecutively through the grooves in the said blocks when the blocks are aligned, the liner having a channel-shaped transverse section, and a rigid carrier bar insertible in the liner and of such thickness as to clamp the channelflanges of the liner against the opposed walls of the grooves in the said blocks when thus inserted, the liner having a widened upper end portion, the liner being detachable press the sides of the liner against the sides fee from the said blocks when the carrier is not which the carrier bar-is of reater hei 'htthan a both the liner and the said grooves so that the carrier bar when inserted 1n the liner will present pressure-receiving face outwardly of the upper ends of the said blocks and of the liner.

4. A stamping outfit comprising blocks of counterpart heights having legend faces on their lower ends and transverse grooves of uniform section in their upper ends, a compressible liner longer than the width of a plurality of the said blocks and extending through the said grooves in the blocks when the blocks are aligned, the liner having an upwardly open channel-shaped transverse section of an exterior width approximating the width of the said grooves; and a carrier bar having a portion inserted in the groove of the said channel-sectioned liner to comof the grooves in the blocks, the said bar portion being of sufficiently greater width than tlfe normal interior width of-the channel-sectioned liner so that the carrier bar will-compress the flanges of the liner against the opposed walls of the channels in the blocks when the said bar is inserted in the liner, the carrier bar being of downwardly tapering transverse section and being detachable from the blocks when the said portion of the carrier is detached from the liner.

5. Means for alining and manipulating a downwardly facing letter block provided with an upwardly open transverse groove: comprising a U-sectioned liner of compressible material removably socketed in the said groove with the back of the liner seated on the bottom of the groove, and a rigid member removably wedged in the said liner and projecting downwardly beyond both the liner and the letter block to present exposed portions for manipulating the recited assembly.

6. Means for alining and manipulating type blocks provided on their upper ends with counterpart transverse grooves, comprising: an upwardly open channel-sectioned liner made of compressible material and of such width and length as to be manually insertible in the grooves of alined type blocks; and a T-sectionedbar including a stem insertible in the liner from the top of the latter, the stem being of such thickness as tocompress the channel flanges against the opposed walls of the grooves in the blocks when the bar is thus inserted; the said bar also includ ing a cross-head on the upper end of the said stem, the cross-head presenting a flat upper face to serve as a basal face for the recited assemblywhen this assembly is turned upside down. a i

j 7. Means for alining and manipulating a row of type blocks having upwardly open grooves alining with each other, comprising: a soft rubber liner of angle-bar section socketed jointly in the said grooves, the liner having an upright flange engaging one side of the groove and a horizontal web seated on the bottom of the groove, and a rigid alining bar having its lower portion seated on the said liner web and wedging the liner in the groove; the said alining bar being detachable from the type blocks and the liner, and having a portion projecting beyond both the type blocks and the liner so that the recited assemblage can be manipulated as a unit by a hand grasping the said projecting portion.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, April 15th,

HANS H. HELLESOE. 

